The Nation Temperature Rises in More Ways Than One

Do you believe racial tension is driven by hateful authority, or hateful citizens?

As a Texas native, I have lived in quite a few DFW cities. From great financially sound ones to not so great ones. I have lived in a city that was so great to grow up in, the schools were racially diverse, but NOT divided. I have also lived recently in a city where the racial tension has made itself known so often, that people wish they could help us get out of here. Recently, in McKinney, Texas a police officer has become under fire for his behavior towards a black teenage girl, and a large group of "Party" goers that were all teenagers. As soon as the video was released of her being taken down roughly by the officer, the race cards were pulled and people immediately began blaming the officer of racism, bullying, and more. This city is one of the more beautiful north Texas cities I have been around. The location of this incident also is a very nice location. So how is this racial? Let's get all the facts together that have been thrown around all social media and news outlets, shall we?

The story that has been passed around by the "white" side (as people have begun naming it) is this:

A "DJ" posted on Twitter that he was hosting an "end of the school year" pool party at a Mckinney, Texas community pool. He tweeted this out with the intent to charge a cover fee and get as many people as possible there. He would tweet out ways for the teenagers to avoid being caught by the security guards that monitor the community, and once the party started it was becoming large. He played vulgar/obscene music for hours with profanity and sexually driven lyrics right next to the community pool. The pool itself is guarded by security and one person who lives there can only give out two passes. So the DJ knew they couldn't go IN the pool. This did not stop many of the kids who went to this get together. They started jumping the fence, attacking the guard who tried to stop them, they started cursing and drinking and smoking (No proof on if it was cigarettes or marijuana) and disrespecting those that lived within the community who we were there. An older female who was white was there with her three children and asked those who did not live there to leave, and (not a surprise here) they didn't. The woman in her moment of frustration and anger told the kids to "Get used to seeing bars outside of the house" because that's where they were heading. One girl, who told the woman she was 14 (or 15, or 13, the age changes with each story) began getting in the woman's face. She made sure the woman knew she was not leaving, they were not caring about anything but their party, and harassed the woman. The woman then slapped the girl due to being disrespected, and took her kids to leave. As she tried to leave, the same girl ran up, yanked her hair and tried to start a fight. This is when the police arrived after being called for noise ordinance violations and other issues. The police officer arrived alone, and immediately told all the kids to go across the street from the pool and sit down. Some did, some kids that were white and some that were black went and listened and then there was this girl. She said no, that she didn't need to. She was doing nothing wrong, and then she walked off. She then came back and continued to go after the officer berating him and yelling profanity to him. The officer repeatedly requested she calm down and sit down and she wouldn't, she he roughly took her to the ground. Immediately, she began screaming and crying, begging for help and squirming, causing him to have to get rougher in getting her to calm down. When two boys attempted to charge the officer to jump him and help the girl, the officer in a panic pulled his gun and finally the mob calmed down more. This was after many other officers appeared trying to calm the situation down. This officer is currently on administrative leave potentially being terminated with charges filed for this behavior.

The story from the "children's" side (again as it's been called) is it starts out the same. They were invited to an end of the school year party by a friend, and they were partying and having fun. The friend lives within the community, and had guest passes for all 100+ party goers. The older white woman started throwing racial remarks towards them such as "Go back to section 8" and all the teenagers tried to stop her. When she tried to leave, she attacked the black girl and two others, and the police arrived. The police were called because the community felt there were "Too many black people at a pool party". The police immediately targeted the group of teenagers based on race, telling only the black, hispanic, and any other race but white teenagers to go sit down. The police did not tell any white teenagers to calm down, sit down, or anything else. When the black teenage girl tried to walk off, he grabbed her and threw her down and manhandled her into submission trying to hurt her. When others ran to try to help her, he pulled a gun cussing at them and used excessive force. This is the entire story given by the teenagers, their parents, their supporters. That the police officer was out of line for roughly taking the teenager to the ground, that he had no right to touch her as she was just "walking away", and that the police profiled all races but white during the scuffle. It was even asked by the teenaged girl's father during a press conference today "Why there were no black police officers sent to the scene". Yes, this question was asked.

Here is my opinion:

I have seen many videos of this situation, both from before the officer arrived and after. I have read multiple witnesses statements from the day from both teenagers and adults. I've seen the twitter posts of the teenagers, I have seen police statements, and it has become clear through this situation one and only one thing: The race divide in this nation has progressed to keep from taking responsibility for anything. Every time someone gets in trouble in any way, they immediately play a race card and point blame and everyone but themselves. If they are caught stealing and are to be arrested, they blame the police and claim racism. If they are caught trespassing on private property, and are asked to leave and don't. They claim racism and blame the police and those around them for being arrested or roughly handled.

Do I think the officer was correct in his behavior? Yes, and no. If you do not comply with authority, and you want to act like an adult then you will be treated like one. If you are 13/14/15 years old and don't want to be thrown to the ground and treated like an adult, then don't use your mouth like an adult. This part is simple logic and any teenager who was taught how to respect authority knows this. There were many black teenagers, white teenagers, and other races this day that knew this and sat down and shut their mouths. None of them were treated in the same manner. In terms of the profanity the officer used, there is nothing wrong with them using profanity. These days, children are around profanity when they are born. Parents use it around their children all day, you hear it in schools, outside church walls, and in music parents permit their children to listen to. If a teenager is going to stand there and use profanity against the police officer, then he in turn should use it right back. To get on their level, you have to use their language. Very simple.

No, the gun should not have been used. But was there any other choice? These teenagers had been sweating, drinking, some had been in the pool and were wet. The risk of a taser shooting and killing a child due to hitting water was high, so a taser was not an acceptable option to point and aim at a wet crowd even with a safety on. A baton? No, with two or more people it's easy to get something like that out of their hands. These kids probably knew this. The gun? I'm not a gun advocate, I do not participate in any action that legalizes guns in any way. But if his fingers was not on the trigger, if the safety was on, and if it calmed these kids down then, I do think that was the only option.

Police officers are murdered while sitting in their cars doing nothing at all. This officer has to go off the same mentality all others do. That at any time now, just for going to get gas they could be murdered. For being a white police officer. Or being a police officer at all. Growing up, I knew to respect the police. Those men and women would throw themselves in front of ANY man, woman, or child to save them if possible. I've also been the other side and been accused of trying to "jaywalk" and I'd be arrested if I didn't just get away from the cop. I'm also a white woman so...what was this officer's problem? Must have had a bad day. This officer had upwards of 100+ kids around him, many of which were yelling, cursing, threatening, telling him essentially what Eric Cartman says sometimes "Whatever! I do what I want!" and guess what, life isn't that way. You can't do what you want when you want every second of every day. If you are told to sit down and shut up and that person is older than you and you are a child, you listen.

I have been asked more than once "If this was your child would you be okay with it?" ABSOLUTELY. My daughter will be raised to respect authority. To respect her elders, and most of all to NOT go to things like this. If she wants to have end of the school year parties with her friends, they will be adult supervised and if I find out police have been called, and there is drinking/smoking, and she is belligerent with police then I will ask them to keep her overnight in a cell for 24 hours and scare some sense into her. Why? I will PARENT my child. I will not let her live to believe what she wants at all times is right. I will not let her believe that trespassing at a community swimming pool is alright "because I'm not inside the pool therefore it's public property".

My final comments to this:

I believe racial divide and racial tension are being caused by the citizens, NOT the authority. I do believe President Obama is not helping the situation at all. He has not come out once and supported police, nor has come out and stated that those who continue to claim racism are the ones that are causing the tension. As a President of the United States he is supposed maintain a strong, UNITED front. But he has not done so in quite a few years and this is what we are getting in return.

This also has set back the african-american community in terms of political stance. Once President Obama is out of the office, the Nation will fight tooth and nail to ensure another black president is never in office. This also has set back women in this nation as the nation will never permit a woman in office either. Why is this? Well look what happened when a black president went into office. We now have race cards thrown out every day, we have police being murdered instead of respected. We have racial tension in all cities that causes all races to fear each other. Before President Obama, yes there was racial tension and divide, but there was not violence like this. I cannot go to a convenience store with my husband and child, and not almost get run down by someone who didn't want to wait for me to close my car door, and then get my life threatened because his music was bumping so loud he couldn't hear me go "WOAH!" instead thought I called him a "Bitch" and threatened to be murdered because I was white and he was black. Yes, he said this. This is okay? Why is this okay? He almost hit me, he assumed I said something I didn't. But this is okay, because he's black and I'm white? Why?

This is the mentality of our nation now. It has to stop, it has to end. We have to stop pointing the fingers at everyone else when we make a mistake and take control of ourselves, our children, and our lives. We have to stop this, otherwise our Nation will continue to destroy itself and guess what...other nations are laughing at us right now. Who needs to go to war with the United States? We're at war with ourselves already.